


And the Dead Shall Rise

by mbav54



Category: Magisterium Series - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Calron, Death, M/M, Please Don't Hate Me, Ressurrection, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 17:59:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11236254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mbav54/pseuds/mbav54
Summary: AU (sort of): “Take care of yourself, idiot," was the last thing Call said to Aaron seconds before he died, and it left Aaron broken. Deciding to move on, Aaron goes to visit Call's house one final time. But on his way out, he sees Call. What was he doing back? And why did he feel so different?





	And the Dead Shall Rise

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! Thank you for your support in my previous fanfic. This time, unlike what I said last time, I’ll be writing an angsty Calron fanfic. I couldn’t handle it. Anyway, this is a remake of a fanfic I’ve written on fanfiction, but it belonged to another fandom. I didn’t complete it then, but maybe I can do it now. I’m pumped.  
> This fanfic is an AU, as will more than 90% of my fics will be like, but this one will be closer to the real story as the characters are mages who attend the Magisterium. Except, in this one the events of The Bronze Key don’t happen. Sort of.  
> Enjoy! Or … don’t. You can hate me. XP

It’s been a week, and Aaron still wasn’t over this loneliness. Tamara was there for him if he needed her, but Call’s absence hit him hard. Now, instead of staying over at the Hunts’ house, messing with spare parts and making sorry excuses they called robots, he was back in his last foster home, and it was depressing.

Given, one of the boys there could do magic, and listened to Aaron well, but Aaron didn’t feel like he belonged here. He felt at home with the Hunts. But Call was … gone. He couldn’t go back there even if he wanted to. It would hurt him too much to walk by and remember _him_.

But it hurt more to remember Call on his last day alive and how defeated he looked. All because of Aaron.

_All Aaron could think about was the people staring at them as they walked a huge, black wolf, or maybe they presumed it was a husky, down the streets. But when Aaron looked at Call, he seemed so calm, so fine with his situation. Like he was used to it. It was amazing how much Call didn’t care, and neither did Havoc. He was just happy to be there. A wolf truly meant for Call, Aaron had thought._

_The three of them were nearing the Hunts’ house, and Havoc was making noises of complaint, standing in his place while Call just smiled in amusement. “Okay, then. I’ll leave you.” He walked past Havoc and even released the leash from his hand. “Bye.” It worked. Like always. Havoc came back running, this time pleading._

_Aaron spoke to the chaos-ridden wolf, saying, “You know Call won’t leave you. Why do you keep falling for this?” he asked, rubbing the wolf on his head. Havoc wagged his tail, excited about being touched in the head._

_Call grabbed the leash again, and as the two boys talked about random interests, they made their way to the house. Alastair was busy at around this time, acknowledging the boys with a verbal greeting and a nod._

_To Aaron, Call had said, “I’m tired.” He rubbed his already messy hair. “Let’s just go to my room.” Call didn’t look tired. Aaron could tell when he was faking it. He wasn’t hunched down like he usually was when tired, and his eyes didn’t look half-asleep. But whatever. Aaron learned to let Call do what he wanted or else Aaron would be attacked with saltiness and sass._

_Aaron followed his friend to the room, and of course, Havoc couldn’t leave Call and came with them as well. Call didn’t seem to mind this, Aaron noticed throughout the years. As long as Havoc was in his setup in the corner and didn’t bother the boys, Call seemed to be okay._

_Thoughts drifting off for a little bit, he wondered what would happen after they’d go to the Collegium. They just finished their Golden Year, and were excited to, well, not attend the Magisterium anymore. It was an overall all right place, but they definitely did not want to go back._

_As they walked, Aaron noticed that Call’s legs were hovering over the ground. The mage did seem to have a slight preference to air magic. “Airhead,” Aaron commented._

_Call groaned. He hated that nickname, and he knew that Aaron and Tamara called him that whenever Call used air magic. “Stop calling me that.”_

_“Would Captain Fishface suit you better?” Aaron teased._

_“You know what? Airhead seems better now that I think about it,” Call said. Aaron laughed. Their interactions always ended up like this: with silly commentary. They were sixteen-year-old boys. They weren’t exactly mature._

_They had reached the room, and Call shut the door after Havoc was in. Aaron didn’t know how, but the vibe in the air suddenly changed. Maybe it was because Call didn’t seem like he wanted to joke anymore. He seemed so serious now. Either way, Aaron had a bad feeling about this._

_“Umm, Aaron,” Call said. Okay, Call never ‘umm’ed. He was always confident in what he said, even when he was bullshitting his way._

_“Yeah?” Aaron prompted._

_Call sat down on his bed, seemingly nervous. This was so unlike him. “I need to tell you something. Something important.” Aaron sat down with him, his palms now getting sweaty. He was getting nervous_ with _Call. It seemed like it was a lifetime before Call spoke. At the same time, Aaron didn’t want the brunet to feel uncomfortable or rushed. “I’m bi.”_

_Oh, that’s it? Well, that wasn’t really news to Aaron. Not like someone in the Magisterium had guessed anything about Call’s sexuality, but Aaron didn’t like to assume things about people. “Okay,” Aaron said, not knowing how else to respond._

_Call blinked as if he wasn’t expecting this, but quickly seemed to shake off his surprise. “That’s not all.” Oh. “I like a guy.” Oooh._

_With a bit of hesitance, Aaron said, “And who is he?”_

_No response. Aaron didn’t want to move his body in fear of it acting out of control and shaking, but he had to have a good look at Call, who, upon Aaron’s gaze at him, only gave a side-ways look, as if to tell Aaron ‘you’re smart – you can figure it out’._

_Aaron hated hurting people, and he knew this would hurt Call, but he needed to get the truth out there. But every time he opened his mouth, he couldn’t do it. He needed a few seconds to breathe. He couldn’t do it so simply. He closed his eyes, sighing. Maybe he can do it now. He did feel more ready. He opened his, parted his lips to speak, but he didn’t have the chance to say anything. Call was already saying, “I get it. It’s okay.” Usually, when people said that, they weren’t okay. And Aaron guessed maybe he was half-right. Call had seemed sad about it. Who wouldn’t be at rejection? At the same time, he didn’t seem that hurt by it. He hoped that he wasn’t faking being okay, too. So much for knowing Call. “I didn’t expect anything else. I just didn’t want to keep this a secret any longer.”_

_A few seconds passed, and Aaron wanted to apologize, say something about this, but before he could, Call stood up, picking up his jacket. “Where are you going?” Aaron asked. How bothered_ was _Call?_

_“I need a breather,” Call replied._

_“You’re coming back, right?” Aaron asked. He couldn’t help but let his worry show. This was his best friend. He couldn’t be expected to let this go without any regards to how Call felt._

_Call nodded. A part of Aaron was relieved. He wasn’t running away, after all. Phew._

_Havoc seemed to share the same worry as he jumped on Call, knocking him down so that he was lying on his back. The wolf licked Call in the face, making the teenager smile. “I’ll be back, Havoc. Just stay with Aaron.”_

_Havoc didn’t like the idea and whined again, but he got off of Call. Despite how bad Aaron felt in this situation, he couldn’t help but admire how close Havoc was to Call._

_“Stay with Aaron, okay?” Call repeated to get it to stick with Havoc. The wolf sat down at the mention of ‘stay’ the second time. Before Call left, Aaron noticed from the corner of his eye the quick glance that Call had given him._

Prepare for things to get awkward, _he thought to himself._

He remembered that around fifteen minutes of Call being away, he started to worry. He had gone to Alastair to tell him about this, and the older man told him to phone Call, and he did. Turns out, that idiot had left his phone in the room. Who doesn’t go anywhere without his phone? Apparently, Call did. Alastair had given him permission to go find Call after that. By the time he found Call, he was still alive and well. If only he had known this wouldn’t last longer.

As a fidgeter, Aaron liked to hold things in his hands. As a kid, he held stuffed toys, messing around with their limbs and hairs. As he grew older, he was given less things, and he started having less possessions given to him by his foster parents, if he excluded necessities such as clothing. He stopped having anything sentimental to hold. These days, he just grabbed anything small enough to mess around with. Today, he was holding a pen, spinning it around in his hand as he thought of his friend. A friend who he might have started liking romantically after he died. Very depressing, he though. And very inappropriate, in a way.

Wishing Call was here, his thoughts drifted back to the funeral. After looking down at Call’s lifeless body in the coffin, he started talking to the people he knew there. At the end of the day, he started having a deep conversation with Alastair that ended up with Aaron talking about how he missed the other boy. Alastair went on explaining how little mages knew about the afterlife because of the lack of chaos mages, and therefore the lack of contact with souls and spirits. But from the few that managed to help out while they were alive, they found out that the soul indeed did live on afterwards, and that it can hear people talking to it, crying over it, and such. He had advised that Aaron talks to Call. Call would love to hear from him, he had said, and that he bet Call missed Aaron. A part of Aaron was kind of forgetful, and he had been too busy grieving that he never got to doing this. Maybe he should now. Perhaps in a low voice so that anyone passing by this room wouldn’t think he’s crazy.

“Where do I start,” he whispered, half to himself and half to Call. “Hey, Call.” He wanted to laugh at himself. He _bet_ he sounded crazy. “I miss you. It’s been a rough week.” It was so awkward talking to nothing, but he tried to focus on Call, on what it felt like to be talking to him. “You know, back to being in my foster home and all. It’s not bad here, but it’s not as good as spending time in your house.” It felt so strange here. It didn’t feel like home. “Tamara misses you a lot, too. I don’t think she wants to admit it, but she cried over you.” He laughed a bit, but he made sure to keep it silent. He was one to speak. He was calm around others, but in the first day or so, he had cried alone in this room. How could he not? He wasn’t heartless.

“I like you,” he added. He figured he should say it. If Call really did hear Aaron, then he at least deserved to know this much. “The same way you liked me, I think. Bad timing. I always have bad timing.” Just like when Call died. He had witnessed it all, the moment his blood was spilled, the moment he had lost him. And he was absolutely useless.

 

_“You’re worrying me and your dad. Are you crazy?” Aaron said once he had found Call. It was kind of late. By the end of their dog walk, it was already evening. And now, it was dark. Dark enough for them to worry about Call._

_“When was I ever not crazy?” Call said. At least he was feeling like himself again, saying comments like this._

_“Fair point. But as much as I’d like to scold you here, I’d rather do it back inside the house.” This wasn’t a suggestion. It was more of an indirect command._

_“Ok-” a rattle came from the alley right beside them, “-ay, what was that?”_

_Aaron sighed. There he went again, curious when it came to trouble. “Could’ve been a stray cat. Now let’s go.” He was having none of it. And neither was Call having any of Aaron’s lectures, so he started walking towards the alley. “Call, no. Stop. Don’t you ever see horror movies? Haven’t you learned anything from them?” he asked, frustrated and worried at the same time. He followed after Call, his heart beating faster than it had before._

_“Nope,” Call answered. The alley had a few twists in it from the horrible planning in this place. The two reached the middle of the alley, and nothing happened. There was nothing, seemingly, and neither of them was really checking the area. Call sighed, now turning around, saying, “Okay, we should go.”_

_“Yeah, you should have. You never listen to Aaron, do you?” a voice said. That voice was kind of familiar to Aaron, but he couldn’t exactly tell who it belonged to. But he knew something. He had heard it in the Magisterium multiple times. He had a feeling he knew the person, but he was by no means close to them or else he would’ve instantly recognized the voice. Just then, a hooded figure appeared from behind Call, and both boys looked at them._

_Judging by the fists in Call’s hand, he wasn’t going to deal with this peacefully. Thinking about it again, he never really dealt with anything peacefully. Or with violence, but besides that, he wasn’t exactly the best at dealing with enemies. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me who you are,” said Call._

_“Wha-” Aaron exclaimed as he felt someone grab him by the hands from behind. There was someone else. He should’ve known that. He started to panic. He wanted to use his magic to do something, but he couldn’t use water and earth to deal with the person behind him. Chaos, air, and fire would have helped him if he could just focus, but whatever he did, he couldn’t do that. And he knew why. His mind was on Call. What was wrong with him? Priorities, he thought to himself. He was the greatest mage, alongside Call, of their generation, yet he couldn’t fend for himself when he needed to. He was hopeless when he needed himself the most. Call was always the one to save him, he realized. He saved him against Drew in their Iron Year, and he saved him against Alex in their Bronze Year_

_Call looked behind him to get a view of what was happening. His eyes held a bit of panic, too, but it wasn’t that obvious. For the most part, he looked like he was more determined than anything to fix this. He turned to the person who had addressed them. “What do you want from us?” he asked._

_“I want to kill you two,” the guy said, and Aaron felt like screaming at that. He took out a knife from hell knows where and pointed the knife casually at Aaron. “The_ makar _, the golden boy,” and the pointed it at Call, “and the Enemy of Death. Truly an interesting pair.”_

_What? He thought no one knew about this. This was impossible. This had to be a joke. “How do you know that?” Aaron asked._

_“Master Joseph,” he simply said. “You see, he took me in so I can help him with his mission. Problem is I didn’t share his view. While he loved you,_ Constantine _,” he said the name with spite, “I was appalled by the idea of serving a guy who was the cause of half of my family’s death. Not to mention he’s now stuck in the body of a wimpy teenager. You may still be here, but you deserve to be dead.” He took a step forward, passing Call and going towards Aaron, who only looked towards the guy with hatred. What was wrong with him? Why resort to killing? He disgusted Aaron. “But hey, killing you won’t be fun unless I torture you. What better way to do it than to let you watch as your best friend bleeds?”_

_“No!” Call said. “Don’t kill him. Just…” he took in a breath, closing his eyes. No, no, no, Aaron thought. He knew where this was going. “Just kill me.”_

_“Call!” Aaron said. Why was Call being so ridiculous?_

_“That’s no fun,” said the guy._

_“Call,” Aaron repeated. But Call ignored him, choosing only to face the twisted, sick man in front of him._

_“You know what else is no fun? Me screaming and alerting everyone who can hear. You know what’s better? Me staying quiet if you promise to leave Aaron alone.” Call was stubborn, and sometimes that was a good thing, but this was the worst time to be stubborn in._

_The guy seemed to consider it because he stepped back from Aaron, his attention now on the other teenager. “Call,” Aaron said again, but his voice was weak this time. He was scared for Call’s life, scared of what will happen. He couldn’t watch this happen. He tried to use his magic, but he was even less focused than he was before. What was happening to him? He has never been like this. It was almost unnatural. He should be able to use magic. No, this couldn’t be happening. A knot formed in his throat. His shook his hands, tried to kick the person behind, but it was no use. Nothing worked. Dammit! If only he was good in combat. If only he knew a bit of it. Maybe then he could help Call. Maybe he wouldn’t be dead weight. “Call!” His voice was breaking. He felt like crying._

_“Okay, fine,” the guy said. He turned to the desperate Aaron who was looking at Call with helpless eyes. He turned back to Call. “Any last parting words?”_

_Call finally looked at Aaron, and the blond could see a bit of sadness seep into his face. But only a bit. He was always good at hiding his feelings. Any other person would have mistaken him for expressionless. But Aaron knew him too well. “Take care of yourself, idiot,” he said with the tiniest of smiles._

_Call, no! Stop it! That was what he wanted to say, but nothing came out. Why was he so hopeless? He wanted to scream, do something! But he was always the weak one. He was always the pretentious one. Call was genuine. He doesn’t deserve this!_

_It was so fast. He didn’t even get a chance to see the knife before it had struck Call in the chest, right where the heart was. “Call!” He truly screamed this time, but it wasn’t as loud as he thought it would be. When the knife was out of his chest, he instantly fell._

_He seemed conscious for a second or two, and Aaron thought he would be there for more than that, but he wasn’t. He was motionless. He’s … he’s gone! He’s left Aaron! Why? Why did he have to be the hero? Why did he leave him?_

_Aaron stared the corpse. He was shocked. There was blood on Call’s shirt, and it quickly spread everywhere. Blood. So much blood. “You see,” said the guy. “I never wanted to kill you, Aaron.” The person behind let go of him, and at the opportunity, he ran towards his friend, who wasn’t even there anymore. His eyes looked up blankly. “I wanted him to think that I did so that he can willingly let me kill him. He’s the Enemy. He deserves to die.” A tear ran down Aaron’s eye._

_At the moment. Aaron wasn’t as sad as he wanted to be. No, he was mad. The rage that wouldn’t come out in his scream, it had built up inside him. He lifted his head up to look at the two figures, and without any warning, he pinned them to the wall using air magic. Call was gone. All because of these two. Oh, he wanted them dead so badly that he started to move the air inside their lungs outside. He didn’t even know he could do that, but it seemed he could. They couldn’t breathe anymore. Good. They deserved it. They didn’t kill an innocent guy and get away with it. But this was wrong. Aaron couldn’t kill the killers. He’d be just as bad. As much as he was angry, he couldn’t get blood in his hands, despite him literally having it on his palms from touching Call._

_Call._

_“Leave. Or who knows what I’ll do to you,” he warned them._

_And they left, sprinting before he could give a second thought._

_That was when he allowed himself to cry for a bit before he got the heart to call 911._

That day was hectic. He remembered a few details from what happened after that. He remembered Call being taken away from him, he remembered being questioned, going to the hospital, sitting, waiting, seeing Alastair come in looking like a mess, Aaron being allowed to see Call but choosing not to do so. Tamara came using a portal with her family to arrive faster. He was surprised how she managed to keep it together, but judging from how her clothes looked like they were thrown on, and how her hair wasn’t slick and neat like usual, and how her eyes were puffy, she wasn’t like this before she came here. Even Anastasia Tarquin came. The Rajavis, excluding Tamara, thought she was only feigning concern, but they didn’t know that Call meant more to her than just a _makar_ of the recent generation. She was his mother from a previous life. He himself used to think that she might not have been so attached to Call, and that she was just saying _words_ to make herself feel better because of what happened to Constantine, but at this moment, he could tell that she loved him. By the end of the day, after having a cold sandwich for dinner, he was back at his foster home even though Alastair insisted that he stays at his house.

Aaron started to wonder how Alastair and Havoc were doing right now.

“But hey,” he continued with his talk to Call, “Jasper misses you, too. He keeps saying he doesn’t, but he’s such a liar. You know how he is.” He rubbed his arm. He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t. He was over that. “Point is, a lot of people genuinely miss you, Fishface. And I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” He sighed, now feeling like ending this one-sided conversation. “Anyway, it’s still early today. I might have to get an Uber to go to your house. It’s not that far away. I just wanna see the place one last time, and Havoc, too, if he’s still there, one last time before I move on. I think it’s about time I at least _try_.” He fixed himself on his tiny bed so he can prepare to get up. “I don’t think this will be my last talk with you. I kind of like this, to be honest. But for now, goodbye.” It felt good letting it all out, and it was kind of reassuring knowing that Call could hear him.

* * *

 

Both of Aaron’s foster dads were too kind, because once he said he wanted to go to his dead friend’s house, and that he needed some cash, they were immediately convinced to give money. It was enough to last him the trip there, and back home. He grabbed his only useful possession – his very old yet functional iPhone – and left after he got a cab. It was a boring trip back to Asheville, but once he got there and he saw the house, he felt so sad. Not just because it reminded him of Call, but because it _seemed_ so lifeless after Call’s death, no pun intended.

He rang the doorbell. He rarely used it in his stay here, but he wasn’t staying there anymore. He was a guest now. That was a weird word. Not even Alastair had ever called him a guest. He was treated like family here.

Aaron hadn’t smiled in a week, but the yip that was heard from the other side of the door did it for him. Havoc never failed to make him happy. Footsteps. Then the door opened. Alastair was there, barefoot and in shorts, his usual attire during the weekend, though it looked extra messy now. Now that Call was gone. “Aaron,” he said in surprise. “What are you doing here? Oh, what am I saying? Come in!” As usual, he was very nice to Aaron.

He stepped in the house, seeing Havoc looking at Aaron with what he assumed was happiness. “Hey, I just wanted to pass by. I wanna move on, but I can’t. Thought coming here would help.” It was still hard for him. With one man and a wolf here, it felt too empty for Aaron. There were two bedrooms here for a reason.

“Of course. You can come by whenever you want. Feel free to do what you like. This is your home, too,” Alastair said. Although he was very kind to Aaron, it was very obvious how much more miserable he had gotten. Loneliness must be hard in this house, especially since at one point, there were three people living here. Now there was one.

“Thanks. If you don’t mind, I’ll spend time in his room for a while,” he said.

“Go ahead,” was the reply, and Aaron was off to the room.

With no Call here, Havoc’s plan B was to follow Aaron. Goodness, he missed the wolf. When he got to the all-too-familiar room, he sat down where he usually did, the bed, and Havoc stood by him. Aaron smiled at the wolf. “Hey, buddy,” he said. “You doing well? I hope so.” He looked around, now petting Havoc. The place was much neater than when he’d left it the past week. Alastair must have come to clean it up at one point. If the loss was hard on Aaron, then it must be harder on Alastair. He was his dad, his relative by blood, and the closest person in his life. In a way, he was also best friends with him in a past life. It was hard to think of Call like that because he never acted like Constantine. He was sarcastic, clumsy, uncharismatic, and not very bright. Things that didn’t describe Constantine, from what he’d heard. They were two totally different people with the same soul.

Havoc started licking Aaron’s hand that was petting him. Aaron laughed. “I missed you, too.” Sometimes, he forgets that Havoc was a wolf and not a dog. Tame and cuddly – characteristics that don’t exactly go well with wolves. But Havoc is chaos-ridden, and he was attached to Call ever since their Iron Year. And it made sense why he was attached to the brunet.

Aaron spent a bit more time in the room, taking it all in one final time. The unplugged PlayStation, the leftover chocolate bars that he never got to eating, and the box filled with comic books – they were all things that were so _Call_. He stood up after that. He wanted to leave, but Alastair was making dinner and insisted that Aaron didn’t spend money on food. Eventually, he was convinced to stay here to eat. He didn’t even know it was getting late. Apparently, he had spent an hour in the room. It felt like a few minutes, not an hour. He definitely wanted to stay here more, too, but he had to go. Alastair seemed sad to let him leave, but he did anyway. He was lonely, he got it, but he didn’t want to intrude. It wasn’t right. As much as he wanted it to be, this wasn’t his home.

He didn’t call an Uber immediately. He decided to walk the same path he and Call used to take when they’d walk Havoc. It was nice, being back, but his imagination was too wild. He imagined the ghost of a boy beside him, holding a wolf’s leash as they conversed about stupid movies and TV shows. Oh, how he missed those gray eyes, that messy, brown hair, that mischievous smile, and that sassy mouth. He didn’t deserve to go. It should’ve been helpless Aaron. Disappointing Aaron. Stupid, stupid Aaron. He wanted to kick a trash can. And he did. The metal that made up the trash can was too heavy to fall, but it felt nice to see it wobble.

He was back to reality, and when he looked to the side, he recognized the alley. It was the same alley that Call had been stabbed in. He felt the knot in his throat form again. He didn’t want to, but he impulsively walked in. As he made his way to the middle, he started to see a bit of yellow, and then he realized it was police tape. He forgot that the police’s involvement meant this was a crime scene. There were white marks outlining where the body used to be, too. Call. Why did this have to happen to Call? Well, he knew the answer. Because the soul inside didn’t belong to Call. But that didn’t matter. He was a good guy. But didn’t he already know? In this world, good guys don’t win.

“Aaron?” He froze. Was he imagining it? Was he finally going crazy? Or did his brain modify the voice so it sounded like it belonged to his best friend?

He turned around. At first, it was hard to see the person. But he noticed the details. The limp of the left leg, the black jacket with uneven white strings coming from the hood, the messy hair. Then his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Oh, this really was Call.

Aaron’s first impulse was to hug Call, and he acted on it. It felt like Call, it sounded like Call, it smelled like Call’s cheap cologne. Call. He was here, standing in front of Aaron.

“Can’t. Breathe,” Call managed out.

Aaron didn’t realize that his arms were squeezing the shorter guy, and at the mention of it, he loosened his grip, but he wouldn’t let go. “You died,” he said, his voice breaking like it did the last time he stood in front of Call.

“I died,” Call confirmed, his arms now wrapping around Aaron. “But I’m back.”

Aaron let go this time, wanting to see how Call looked like. He was the same as ever. The same as the last time he’d seen him, minus the wound. Now that he thought about it, his jacket should have a rip in it if a … knife ran through it, but this situation itself didn’t make sense, anyway.

“How?” he asked, words not cooperating with him now.

“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Call said, running a hand through his black hair. “I remember dying. And then there’s a gap in my memory. Then I wake up by this scene. It’s a long story. There’s so much to tell.”

“Just tell me something,” Aaron said. _I just want to hear your voice again._ “What happened when you woke up? Are you staying? Or are you just … visiting?” That was his fear. That Call was just here to see Aaron and say a formal goodbye.

Call smiled. It was so good to see him smile again. It was so good to see him breathing. “Don’t worry I’m here to stay, idiot.” His smile disappeared again, and now he was muttering, “I guess I have to say this detail to you.” He looked at Aaron again, but there was an unfamiliar seriousness to him. He was usually the focused kind of serious. His expression seemed so … alien. “There was a girl with me. I think she was an angel. Or maybe a guiding spirit. I don’t know. It was confusing. But she told me I’m being tested. I was supposed to live longer because I have things to do still, but they can’t give me a free ticket back. She told me that for the next month, I need to be secretive about this. No more than two people can know about my existence. But the problem is they want to make it more challenging for me. So, they, whoever they are, decided I can’t tell anyone from my family either.”

Oh. This must be difficult for Call, then. But there was something that made Aaron happy about what he said besides the fact that succeeding in the test is a good sign that Call might stay. “So, I’m your person number one.”

“I think I was forced to choose you, anyway. I just woke up like an hour ago, and you’re the first person I see here. I didn’t really want to risk going somewhere else. People recognize me,” he said.

“Still, I’m your person number one,” Aaron said.

Call nodded. “Yeah, you are.” An audible sigh came from him. “Problem is I don’t know who to tell either. I need a place to stay, and I don’t know anyone who lives alone besides … Dad, I guess. And I can’t tell him.”

“True,” Aaron said. What to do. What to do? Oh, he might have an idea. It was risky, but hey, Aaron might be able to stay by Call’s side this way. “What about the Tamara? Listen, I know the amount of people in her house isn’t small, but the house is big. I’ve been there one summer. They let me stay in a spare room, and no one comes in without knocking first. If I tell them I want to stay there, they’ll let me, and you can, too-”

“Yeah, but how can I sneak in?” Call asked. “I get the plan, but how am I going to get inside in the first place? The place is guarded.”

Okay, this was proving more difficult than he thought. But he knew what to do. Well, it wasn’t what _he_ was supposed to do. It was what Tamara was willing to do.

“I can orchestrate this with Tamara,” Aaron said.

“Okay, who uses that word? Orchestrate?” Call joked. Oh, it was so good to have him back. The week without him was hell.

“You know what I mean. I can tell her it’s urgent, and I can tell her to talk to the butlers and do something. She’s got our back,” Aaron suggested.

Call looked at him for a while, considering it. “Fine. I got no better idea. Ring her.”

“Ring her?” Aaron teased as he got his phone out.

Call stuck his tongue out mockingly as Aaron clicked on the ‘call’ button once he reached Tamara in his contact list. He talked to her then, asking her if he can stay in her house, to which she said yes. Then he explained to her the plan, excluding Call from the equation for now. All the while, he looked at him. Call was back, and you’d bet he’d do whatever to make sure he was fine. He failed him last time, but he wouldn’t anymore.

* * *

 

It was a good thing Alastair had convinced Aaron to save the money, because it was just enough to pay for the amount he bargained on for the cab. It was a long ride, but by midnight, they were expected to arrive at Tamara’s house. Over text, she mentioned her parents’ approval, and the butlers’ obedience. She said she had to tell her parents that Aaron was too nervous around people, and that butlers made him uneasy. She always came through. He was glad he suggested her. She _was_ their best friend. Aaron also informed his foster parents of this. All of his recent foster parents were used to him leaving them once he came back for summer break. This whole time, he was checking on Call, making sure his face was covered so he wouldn’t be known.

“Hey,” he said, trying to not mention Call’s name, “did you get my … last message?” By message, he meant the verbal one. The one directed towards his ghost.

Call nodded. “I got and still remember everyone’s message, I guess, for some strange reason. It’s one difference I noticed. I still get messages. Mostly from Dad.”

Interesting. Not only because he got to know something about this Call, but because Call acknowledged Aaron’s speech to him.

“So, no, it wasn’t your last message to me,” Call said, smiling. That devil. It wasn’t even a serious smile. More of a victorious one.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” he said to him.

“Nope,” Call agreed, his grin spreading. “Oh, I’m enjoying this.”

“I bet you are,” he muttered. Without being aware of it, his smile mirrored Call’s, minus the deviousness, of course.

Getting over this, they both agreed to talk about it later on. Call told him there were so many things he needed to tell Aaron. Whatever it was, serious, or stupid, he was glad to be sharing its burden with Call. He was worth it.

After a while, they reached Tamara’s house, both of them tired, though a little part of tired Aaron’s mind was happy to see the absence of butlers to block the way. Aaron gave the cab driver money and seeing the gate slightly open, he got in with Call, still careful. It was a good thing Call wore black. He blended in with the darkness of the night. “Okay, I’ll get in from the front door. You sneak your way from the back. It’s too tight there for butlers to be causally there. The rooms are all on that side. I’ll open my window, and you sneak in.”

Aaron could see Call’s lips tightening. “I hope this works or else, bye-bye. Guess I’ll see you in the afterlife.”

“Bitter crybaby, as always,” he said to Call.

Call left him to sneak in the back, and Aaron focused on being quick to finish the greetings and everything. Once he entered, he was greeted with Tamara’s mother, who stayed up late with Tamara to see him. The others were asleep. Mrs. Rajavi expressed how she was worried about Aaron, how uncomfortable he felt with crowds, and his need for a friend right now. He tried to be as fast as possible, which only earned him glances from Tamara.

“Come on. I’ll get you to the spare room,” she said. She went upstairs with him. She pretended to be talking to him casually, but he knew she hated small talk like, “So, did you bring any clothes?” Once they were out of hearing range, she whispered to him. “What’s going on? What are you sneaking in?”

“How do you know I was sneaking in something? Did you look outside when I came in?” he asked.

“No. I had no way of knowing when you’d be here,” she said, opening the spare room’s door and closing it behind once they were in. “But getting rid of butlers? Hello! I know you don’t have social anxiety.”

Aaron huffed. It was obvious, yes, but still, she was smart. He should’ve known she’d guess what was going on. But she didn’t know what was going on. “I … brought you something.”

“What?” she asked.

He headed towards the window and opened it, looking down. There was Call, looking up, waiting. The room was in the top floor, so Call needed to use magic.

“What are you talking about, Aar-” She was right beside him, frozen in place. He turned to her, and he saw that her eyes were big as saucers. “Oh, my God!” She said words in what he guessed was Iranian or something. Either way, he could tell she was shocked and surprised. Why wouldn’t she be? “Call! He … He … Call’s alive?” she whispered.

Aaron nodded. “He’ll explain. Let him just get in.” Tamara was visibly shaken, but she let Aaron do what he did. He motioned for Call to come up, and, as expected, he used air magic to levitate and go all the way up the second floor. Call was really good at magic, he thought. A random thought, yes, but he couldn’t help but feel happy at merely seeing Call again. It was just unexplainable.

Once Call was in the room, he was attacked by a hug from Tamara. She was still shaking, but now, it seemed like it was from crying. Aaron hated feeling like he was intruding on a fragile moment for her. A moment she might not want him to see. She pulled away, wiping her tears. “You’re giving me a heart attack this week. What is wrong with you?” she asked, looking like she was about to punch him. And she might even be in the right mindset to do so because she was back to being tough Tamara again. “What’s going on?” she asked.

And Call explained what he told Aaron.

That voice. Aaron thought he would never hear it again. That face. He thought he would only see it in blurry pictures. Everything about Call after his death became a million times more valuable to Aaron. As he saw him making witty comments with Tamara just like in the days in the Magisterium dorms, Aaron knew he wanted to keep Call safe. He remembered a sentence Call started to say out loud during his later years in the Magisterium as the years grew harder. _Call wants to live._

Oh, and he’d make sure of that.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this was long.  
> I wrote most of it in a day. I stayed up all night for this piece of work, and I’m satisfied enough because it’s long and somewhat good. Do not worry, things will get better. I think. I do have drama to come, and some confrontation, in a good and bad way. So, look out for that.  
> I hope you don’t hate me for killing Call, but I just love the topic of death. I don’t know why, it just fascinates me. I’m morbid, I know. I’ll see myself out. Anyway, don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts down below. I’d love to hear from you guys.  
> Later!


End file.
